Community Greets New UMD Athletic Director

By
KBJR News 1

August 13, 2013Updated Aug 13, 2013 at 9:37 PM CDT

Duluth, MN (NNCNOW.com) --- The Northland got its first real chance to meet new University of Minnesota-Duluth (UMD) athletic director Josh Berlo on Tuesday afternoon, with the Bulldogs athletic department hosting a public social event in downtown Duluth.

Berlo was announced as the successor to Bob Nielson this past April and officially started his duties on May 1, but this was one of the first public events he's been part of as the new man in charge of UMD athletics.

Asked where UMD stands after his first three months on the job, Berlo responded by saying everything is going as well as he could have hoped.

"UMD is in a great place. Our multidisciplinary success in the classroom, the community, and on the field is a core value," Berlo said. "What we want to do is enhance the national profile. We've got an amazing tradition of excellence and of championships. We want to keep that going."

In replacing Nielson, Berlo becomes the school's first solely dedicated athletics director since 2008 --- Nielson also served that time as the head football coach --- and he says that will serve as a positive for the department.

"It's our job to honor the traditions that are in place and grow on those, build the support for our student-athletes," Berlo said. "I think one of the biggest differences between Bob and I is that I have 100 hours a week to devote to being the athletics director."

Berlo came to UMD after serving the past 12 years as senior assistant athletics director at the University of Notre Dame, where he oversaw a staff of 40 and managed a budget of nearly $4 million.

While with the Fighting Irish, Berlo was the man in charge of event marketing, game presentation, fan experience, and ticketing for 26 Division I athletic programs.